Wahab Riaz
Saj Sadiq talks to one of the key members of the Pakistan attack in another searching interview for The Cricket Paper
I don’t mind mixing it – the game’s gladitorial
He may have taken only two wickets in the opening Test at Lord’s, but Wahab Riaz was a threat throughout and his experience will prove vital over the coming weeks. Here he speaks about the belief that runs through the Pakistan squad. Saj Sadiq: You were one of the few Pakistan players who played at Lord’s in 2010 and also last week at Lord’s. How did it feel returning there after the events of the last tour of England? Wahab Riaz: Last time we left Lord’s with our heads bowed, this time we left Lord’s with our heads held high. It was an opportunity for us to show the cricketing world what we can achieve and are capable of and, thankfully, we grabbed that chance and buried the memories and events of 2010. SS: As the senior bowler in the current bowling attack for Pakistan, what did you say to Mohammad Amir ahead of the Lord’s Test? WR: I said to Amir that this match is an opportunity for you to win the hearts of people who you hurt six years ago. I told him to go out there and believe in himself and in his ability. I also said to him that everyone in the squad is behind him and is there for him and that we are here in England to earn respect, and, of course, to win the series. SS: Would you rate that win at Lord’s as one of the highlights of your career to date? WR: Yes, definitely. To defeat one of the best teams in the world in their own backyard in a Test match was great, especially with the match being played at the Home of Cricket. It was a matter of great pride for myself and for my teammates that we won at Lord’s, and that, too, after a 20-year gap. SS: When Chris Woakes and Jonny Bairstow were batting well together, there must have been some nerves and tension out there? WR: In that sort of situation, you have to be ready mentally for some good partnerships by the opposition and not panic.We knew that Woakes and Bairstow are very capable cricketers and at no point could we underestimate them.We also knew that we had to break that partnership as it was a crucial one, and when that partnership breaks we would have a good chance of victory. Once Bairstow was out, we knew that victory was in sight for us. SS: It seems that as a bowler, you are at your best when you are snarling and angry? WR: Yes, I don’t mind mixing it with the batsmen. I enjoy that rivalry of the fast bowler against the batsman. It’s like two gladiators fighting it out as the world watches and that competitive aspect of cricket does spur me on. Everyone is out there representing their country and I don’t think international cricket is a place for the faint-hearted.
I didn’t take many wickets in the Lord’s Test but that doesn’t upset me as the result for the team is more important than individual performances.We all have roles and I know my job is to unsettle the opposition batsmen whenever I can. I believe you get rewarded for hard work and if you put in the effort, you will get a return on that. But sometimes you bowl well and don’t get the rewards, but then on other occasions you bowl not so well and you get wickets, so it all evens out in the end. SS: While there are three pace bowlers in the Pakistan line-up, do you agree that you are all different and have differing rolls within the team? WR: Yes, absolutely. Amir, Rahat [Ali] and I are different types of bowlers and each have our strengths. My thinking is that I have to be prepared and ready for whenever the captain wants me to bowl a long spell. I think I am at my best when I bowl long spells.What I am really enjoying, though, is that there is a lot of backing amongst the boys, we are all supporting each other; whilst there is a friendly rivalry and competition, we are all pleased for each other when a teammate does well. SS: Conditions at Lord’s must have felt like the pitch had been imported from Lahore or Dubai? WR: We had done our homework back in Pakistan and knew what conditions would be like.We knew that the wicket at Lord’s would be a bit slow, slower than the other wickets we will encounter.We are very used to playing on slow wickets so it was good to see that the wicket was as we expected.We were also prepared for the fact that the ball would reverseswing, especially in the second innings and were actually pleased to see England reverse-swinging the ball when they were bowling, as that meant that we would also be able to reverse it when England were batting in their fourth innings. SS: It must make your job easier when you have a bowler like Yasir Shah in the team? WR: Yes, it makes a massive difference. With him there, pressure on the other bowlers is reduced. He’s great to have around, he’s very energetic, always talking about the game, about bowling and asking for opinions from others on what he can do to improve as a cricketer. He’s always ready to challenge the batsmen and take them on and he’s a really hard-working team man. SS: When did the squad decide that if you won at Lord’s, you would celebrate in the way you did? WR: The squad decided ahead of this tour that whichever player made a century or took five wickets in an innings would celebrate with push-ups as a tribute to the army staff who trained the squad ahead of this tour. The idea of doing the push-ups at the end of the game if we won came from Younis Khan, ahead of the last day. Then when the ninth wicket fell,Younis Khan once again reminded everyone of the celebration. SS: Are you surprised at Alastair Cook’s reaction to the push-ups. It seems he wasn’t impressed? WR: He’s obviously disappointed as it’s not very often that the unfancied team defeats England in the opening Test of a series at Lord’s. Perhaps as captain, he felt the pressure of the defeat and that’s why he’s disappointed.We will hope that we continue winning, and we have decided that we will continue with this celebration if we win more matches on this tour. SS: In a pep talk ahead of this tour, the PCB chairman asked the squad to win cricket matches and win friends. Is that something that you are trying to achieve? WR: Look, our main motive is to win cricket matches and show everyone we are capable of as cricketers. It’s a tough ask to come to England after six years with a squad of players who have not had much cricket in England previously. Playing against England in England is a very tough challenge but I feel that we have a very good chance this time to compete with them, as we have been playing some excellent Test cricket in recent years.
We are a very united squad focused on performing well. It’s a squad that has the team’s goals ahead of personal milestones. This is also an opportunity to win friends and erase the memories of 2010 and what happened then. SS: What are your thoughts on the upcoming second Test match at Old Trafford? WR: We’ve had a dream start to the Test series that was beyond expectations. England are a great team and we expect them to come back hard at us and give us a tough time. However, we put England under a lot of pressure and hope to continue with that.
We go into this Test match in Manchester with only one goal, and that is to win and go 2-0 up, which will mean we cannot lose the series.We’ve come to England with the aim of winning this series and that is something that I feel we can achieve. At Old Trafford, we need to work even harder than we did at Lord’s and play with the same passion and pride we did there. If we do that, then I am sure we will be successful.
It’s a squad focused on performing well, a squad that has the team’s goals ahead of personal milestones. This is also a chance to win friends and erase memories of 2010